Basically, two weeks ago we found a run-down house at the side of the road that was giving away kittens. We brought back one and realized he had fleas and a few infections. The vet managed to fix him up, but I've read in a lot of places that kittens need to have other feline interactions for psychological and emotional development, so right now I'm wondering whether to:
- Stay with one cat
- Adopt another cat from the shelter
- Adopt another one of his littermates

What do you guys think?

EDIT: Checked with my parents and they said they'd consider it if I managed the current kitten and kept good grades for six months :P Life is simple when you're young.

you should adopt another one of his littermates...

The problem is that the kittens were living in a very dirty environment, and my parents don't want to pay the vet bills for flea removal and such.

I'd get a cat from your local shelter. Honestly, I hate to say it, but the kittens from the house are likely inbred, and will have multiple health problems as adults. Think about it like this: if they were perfectly fine cats, why would those people just give them away, and not sell them? These health problems can be quite expensive, especially if you have two. Cats in shelters are stuck there until [or if] someone comes to adopt them. Most of them are perfectly fine cats, and are neutered or spayed. For a small fee, you can give a cat a second chance.

Either way, I would advise getting a cat of approximately the same age as your kitten. Getting an older/younger cat might result in fights.

Good point. The people giving away the cats were an old couple who seem to have given up on living in society, so that might have clouded our judgement a bit.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, they might have given them out for free to attract more people. They didn't seem to have a steady source of income (or any income at all) so they might have just wanted to get rid of the cats as quickly as possible.

most animals will do well with cats exspt for hamster,gunia pigs,most rodents well are cats are to lazy to chase any tho,fish i remeber that my one cat knocked down my fish tank she survived but seemed more scard then clam can't say the sam for the tank tho we got another tank and fish and birds don't do well ether cats allwes chase them wanna hear a fact abut house cats ok they try to chatch birds cus they thin we can't hunt for ourselfs my sister told me that

First and foremost, a cat does not need another cat. Its better but not necessary. And if your parents arent willing to front the vet bill, I do not recommend adopting another pet.


All cats, including the one you have should be:
Snap Tested for FIV/FELV
Vaccinated with the combo vaccine called: FVRCP (in kittens they need this 3 times)
Microchipped and registered
Spay/Neutered
Dewormed
Fecal test to check for parasites like Giardia and Coccidia

Before you bring a new pet into your home, make sure the above is already done with your existing pet.


If you adopt one of the siblings, you will need to do the same.

If you adopt from the shelter, you will need to do:
Snap Test
Vaccines
Dewormer
Fecal test
2 Week Quarantine away from other pet to make sure they dont have any illnesses (as it can take up to 2 weeks after leaving the shelter)
The shelter will usually spay/neuter and microchip.

So think well before adopting another pet. If you adopt from a rescue, usually all the testing is already completed but they will charge an adoption fee (but its so worth it because you get a fully vetted pet)

I got my cat from an elderly couple who happened to feed stray cats. People constantly dumped cats at/near their house because they lived pretty close to a farm. Unfortunately, it's fairly common out here. (Even my friend ended up with a cat that had been dumped along with it's brother at the church across the street from his house.) Point being, you never know the predicament and I wouldn't think of that old couple as terrible unless they're purposely breeding and selling kittens.

As far as adopting another cat as well as some possible tips:

Not all cats are the same~ some are social and some aren't and for the most part, cats are pretty independent. Cat's don't need to have other cats around. For all anyone knows, your cat might grow up and avoid the other cat.

It looks like Bar already listed what you do need to do, but just to add on some recommendations:
Monthly Flea prevention per cat is highly recommended (Guesstimate $10 a month)
1 litter box per cat +1, to help avoid the chance of your cat getting a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Well, if your parents aren't wanting to pay for flea removal for a littermate, they probably aren't going to want to pay to adopt another kitten from a shelter. I don't know if it's the case everywhere, but I know all of the local shelters charge significantly more for kittens (like 3x more). You are probably better off just having the one and making sure you give them lots of love and play time.

one word: petco